Mankins: Scarnecchia-less Patriots 'will be a big change'

BY SCOTT BAINES

Guard Logan Mankins has had just one positional coach since being drafted by the New England Patriots in 2005.

That streak, however, has come to an end given the recent departure of longtime assistant Dante Scarnecchia, who retired after three decades with the organization.

“It’s going to be a big change," Mankins said Thursday, via Patriots.com. "I was lucky enough to have him for nine seasons. I wish that could have continued, but he put in his time and he earned the right to retire."

"Last time I talked to him, he was enjoying life right now and he’s staying busy."

Scarnecchia was the only member of the Patriots to have been a part of all seven of the team's Super Bowl appearances. He was the league's longest-tenured coach at the time of his retirement.

Having been the captain of the front unit since 2010, Mankins will be relied on heavily to make the transition to new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo as smooth as possible. DeGuglielmo, a former assistant for both the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, did not coach the past calendar year.

". . . I have met him and talked to him," Mankins said of his new positional coach. "We didn’t really talk about too much, just getting to know each other a little bit and talk about what he’s done and what he has in store for us."

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